This invention relates to a shock absorber, and more particularly, to a spring-assisted shock absorber of particular construction.
Spring assisted shock absorbers were originally developed for passenger vehicles to provide better vehicle leveling characteristics while carrying a rear vehicle load. Such shock absorbers each included a single load carrying spring. Because of the typically large mass of older vehicles, the single load carrying spring provided an acceptably comfortable ride in an unloaded vehicle, even though the spring rate was relatively high.
With the advent of the currently typical small vehicle, however, conventional single spring assisted shock absorbers often resulted in a harsh ride in an unloaded vehicle.